Sarah B.
About me
| Sarah B. | |
| Chemistry | |
| Chemistry | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2010 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Head of Chemistry | |
| St Gregory's Catholic College | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Education | |
| 2013 | |
| £21500 | |
| £30000 |
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A day in the life of a Head of Chemistry in the United Kingdom
My career history
July 2010 - Graduated from York University.
September 2010 - July 2011 - PGCE Secondary Science - Chemistry with QTS at St Anne's College, Oxford
September 2011 - July 2013 - Chemistry Teacher at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol
July 2013 - present - Head of Chemistry at St Gregory's Catholic College, Bath
Courses taken since graduation
PGCE Secondary Science - Chemistry (with QTS) - St Annes College, Oxford
Where I hope to be in 5 years
In my new position I have a fantastic opportunity to be the Head of Chemistry in the first year of a brand new sixth form. I can set up my department from scratch and watch it develop. For the time being, at least, I will take great pleasure in sticking with my current job and watching the Chemistry department develop.
My advice to students considering work
Make the most of any extra clubs, courses or opportunities that you can. It all adds to your CV to show prospective employees that you made the most of your time at uni. Even if you did spend a lot of time 'socialising', it doesn't actually boost your employability.
Try to get some experience in a classroom before you make the commitment to do a PGCE or other teacher training.
Good Chemistry teachers are very hard to find at the moment and so with the right attitude and motivation there is a massive scope for career progression.
Also look into grants and bursaries from the Government and other organisations like the RSC. They can help to fund your teacher training and provide extra networking opportunities.
My advice about working in my industry
Try to get some experience in a classroom before you make the commitment to do a PGCE or other teacher training.
Good Chemistry teachers are very hard to find at the moment and so with the right attitude and motivation there is a massive scope for career progression.
Also look into grants and bursaries from the Government and other organisations like the RSC. They can help to fund your teacher training and provide extra networking opportunities.
What I do
8am - arrive at school
8.25 - tutor time and registration
8.55 - 9.55 - Lesson 1
9.55 - 10.15 - Break
10.15 - 11.15 - Lesson 2
11.15 - 12.15 - Lesson 3
12.15 - 1.05 - Lunch
1.05 - 1.15 - Afternoon registration
1.15 - 2.15 - Lesson 4
2.15 - 3.15 - Lesson 5
3.15 - Students leave
3.30 - 4.30 - After school meetings or clubs
4.30 - 6.00 - planning and photocopying for next day
6.00pm leave school
I usually work for a couple of hours at home to complete marking and report writing tasks and always work for 3 - 4 hours at weekends.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Hard work - I didn't always find my undergraduate degree easy, and came close to failing a couple of modules, but this has given me a much better understanding of how to help students develop their own revision skills and support the students who are struggling.
Getting a 2:1 means that when my application form for a new job goes into a school they know that I can do Chemistry. Particularly as the subject I teach is directly linked to my degree subject.
Degree skills:
Useful skills include practical work, developing my revision techniques, doing presentations regularly, working independently as well as in groups. All of these skills transfer directly to skills I use every day.
Extracurricular skills:
PGCE - it's vital if you want to be a teacher!
What I like most
I enjoy the variety - although the days are always structured and busy, you know where you have to be and when, every lesson is different. The students make every day interesting and being able to see that you are making a difference is really rewarding.
What I like least
Paperwork, forms, health and safety, politics (educational reforms) and teacher-bashing (yes we have long holidays, but during term time my average working week is 60 - 70 hours when I am contracted for 32.5 hours!)
What would I change? Actually being able to make a cup of tea and drink it while it is hot. If you are ever in one place for long enough to make tea, inevitably something will come up before you have a chance to drink it.
Next steps...
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